The Premier League team Manchester City F.C. (UK) revealed key information about its brand-new museum experience designed to immerse visitors in the history and culture of the club.
‘MANCHESTER CITY’ stated that set to open later this year in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s (UK) Etihad Campus the Manchester City F.C.’s Museum Experience will spread across 10 distinctive spaces covering over 1,700 square meters.
The Manchester City Museum Experience will complement the club’s existing Stadium Tour which is currently ranked among the top five visitor attractions in the United Kingdom.
Nostalgic Environments
The visitors will be able to visit nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history including Moss Side, the home of Manchester City F.C.’s now-demolished 35,150-capacity Maine Road Stadium from 1923 to 2003. They can also take part in interactive media experiences including football punditry, or pose with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams.
The Manchester City Football Club, commonly referred to as Man City or simply City, is a professional football club based in Manchester, England (UK) that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football.
The City of Manchester Stadium, currently known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of the Premier League team Manchester City F.C. With a domestic football capacity of 61,038 it is the fourth-largest football stadium in England and the eighth-largest in the United Kingdom.
The Medlock Square is a £300 million year-round entertainment and leisure district developed by the City Football Group at the Etihad Campus in East Manchester (UK). Anchored by the Etihad Stadium and the 23,500-capacity Co-op Live arena the destination is designed to keep the campus active 365 days a year.
Manchester (UK)-based the City Football Group (CFG) is the world’s leading private owner and operator of football clubs – with 12 football clubs across five continents within the CFG family. Established in May 2013, the CFG approach ensures that every club remains authentic to its fans and the community, plays entertaining football and benefits from being part of a global organization that applies the world’s best expertise on and off the pitch.
The Etihad Campus is a 200-acre sports, leisure and community development in East Manchester, England (UK) owned and operated by the City Football Group and the Manchester City F.C. It serves as the primary home for the club’s matches, daily training, youth development, and global corporate operations.
Pop-up Space
‘MANCHESTER CITY’ further stated that in doing so the experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history. A dedicated temporary pop-up space will allow new and evolving stories to be shared over time while the fan memories are woven throughout. The hidden details and the surprising ‘did you know’ facts are embedded across the experience to ensure even the most devoted fans discover something new about the club they love.
‘City x PUMA Arena’
Thanks to the club’s longstanding partnership with the German athletic apparel and footwear PUMA the experience will also feature the ‘City x PUMA Arena’, an interactive area where the visitors can take part in a variety of active football challenges to test their football ability. This includes a shooting game inspired by the Argentine former footballer Sergio Agüero’s iconic last-minute goal against the English Football League (EFL) Championship team Queens Park Rangers F.C. in 2012, one of the most famous moments in Premier League history.
PUMA Story
Alongside the ‘City x PUMA Arena’ there is also a dedicated area telling the story of PUMA’s long relationship and history with football.
By combining the interactive environments, the technology and the authentic artefacts the experience aims to appeal to a wide audience, from the lifelong Manchester City supporters to the families and those with a broader interest in football, culture and the city of Manchester.
‘Immersive Museum Experience’
Commenting on the plans, Danny Wilson, Managing Director, Manchester City Operations, said, “Building a completely new museum has allowed us to create an immersive experience that celebrates the people and moments which have shaped Manchester City. But our story isn’t traditional and straightforward, so why should our museum experience be? We want something different. Something immersive which will resonate with our fans as well as excite the wider city. In doing so, we have developed something that appeals to the fans, complements the Etihad Campus and provides a year-round attraction for the city.”
The museum has been designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), the world’s largest award-winning practice dedicated to the planning and design of museums and the narrative environments. With studios in New York (US), London (UK), Berlin (Germany), and Beijing (China), the RAA’s previous projects include the London Transport Museum, the Obama Presidential Centre in Chicago and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Further information about the museum experience, including booking details, will be shared ahead of its opening later in 2026 during the phased completion of the Medlock Square.
Once complete, the venue will operate 365 days a year and include the 401-bed Medlock Hotel, office space, a range of food and drink options, a covered fan zone, and a roof walk experience.
Personalization Experience
There will also be a best-in-class flagship CityStore, delivered in conjunction with PUMA and the club retail Partner stichd – providing an immersive new retail experience for the fans spread over three floors. In addition to an increased merchandise offering and exclusive stadium store product the fans will also be able to enjoy a brand-new, enhanced personalization experience.
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